What makes a great company culture? Inspiring Ted Talks for your team

A great company culture is made up of continuous feedback process to ask the right people the right questions at the right time to understand and strengthen the overall organizational culture. At CultureIQ, we believe culture is a business concern, not just an HR issue.

Ted Talks about great culture

If you aren’t familiar with TED Talks, now is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself. While TED stands for “technology, entertainment, and design,” these talks cover a wide range of topics, including business, leadership, and you guessed it… company culture!

Here are some quick management, leadership, and company culture TED Talks to watch during your lunch break, share with your colleagues, and inspire culture change.

Dan Ariely: What makes us feel good about our work?

Dan Ariely explains that people are more engaged when you give them something to work toward and acknowledge their output. It sounds obvious, but his powerful examples might encourage you to reconsider some internal practices.

Shawn Achor – The happy secret to better work

Shawn Achor talks about “reversing the formula” for happiness and success. The key is to focus on the positive, which can lead to better performance and improved business metrics. It doesn’t stop there– Achor explains that thinking optimistically can cause a ripple effect of happiness and success.

Nilofer Merchant – Got a meeting? Take a walk

People sit an average of 9.3 hours per day. Nilofer Merchant wants to change that horrifying statistic while working collaboratively and thinking creatively. She explains that by hosting walking meetings, you can take care of your health and take care of business at the same time.

Simon Sinek – Why good leaders make you feel safe?

Simon Sinek explains that great leadership does not come from authority, but instead, it comes from the ability to create an environment of trust. He traces this need for trustworthy leaders back to our evolutionary past and explains how important it is in modern business. An environment of trust can affect your employees, your customers, and the success of your business.

Dan Pink – The puzzle of motivation

Dan Pink explores the confusing science behind motivation. It turns out that there is a discrepancy between what science knows and what modern business does. That is, businesses depend on rewards to drive performance, but studies show that incentives lead to poorer performance. He argues that true motivation comes from autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Feeling inspired? There are plenty more TED Talks out there! Visit the TED Talks library for even more topics and discussions.

AuthorJamie Nichol

Jamie brings people together to connect and collaborate around company culture. She enjoys looking at her daily art calendar, seeking “friluftsliv,” and talking about Australian Shepherds (or dogs in general) any chance she gets. If you want to chat about company culture, feel free to shoot her an email at jamie@cultureiq.com.